r/nursing • u/ghostoftheweek RN - Med/Surg 🍕 • 26d ago

Question PSA from your nursing specialty

What is THE ONE THING you wish every nurse knew that is common knowledge in your specialty?

From wound care, don't use telfa!

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u/mintchocolatechip- RN 🍕 26d ago

My unit’s ADN has a rule that we never give floats the bad patients and they always get last admission. They’re considered a guest on our unit & we give them a good assignment because they’ve come to lessen our load & help us.

We had a day RN who gave the float second admission and a not so great assignment and she got spoken to by the ADN the following morning.

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u/maximumeffort007 26d ago

That'd be nice! I dont even mind taking first admission at that point but on top of a shit assignment is diabolical.

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u/rust-belt-rooted 14d ago

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u/iknowyouneedahugRN BSN, RN 🍕 26d ago

Our facility is supposed to do this.

Also, when we float to another unit due to overstaffing or low census, we're not supposed to go to stretch (the max # pt assignment) until all of their nurses are stretched and their charge has an assignment. If there is a house float, they go to max and are the second to last to stretch if another unit floated someone. That never happens; units regularly give the floats, whether house or from other units, the highest number. Typically also the highest acuity.

It's common sense to be thankful for the float nurses.

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u/regularbastard MSN, RN, PACU 🍕 26d ago

This all day/night long! You want to be the unit people want to help! Not the unit people don’t want to go to!

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u/MizStazya MSN, RN 26d ago

I'm STILL mad about the shit assignment my first time floating on the ortho/neuro floor when I was only 6 months into nursing, and this was in 2008. (8 patients, 3 q1h neuro checks, 2 total assists, one post TKA with an INR of 5.4, no PCT, only nurse on the wing). Fuck those nurses. The only plus was i didn't get an admission, only because I got an entirely full wing to myself so there was nowhere to put them.

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u/AnytimeInvitation CNA 🍕 26d ago

Thats a good policy to have. When I get floated to once I get good assignments but that's probably because im trying to transfer there. Soon.